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WS on the Cases of Southern Cameroons,
Balochistan and Ahwazi Arabs
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Sixty-second session
Item 11 of the provisional agenda
CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
Written statement* submitted by the International Federation for the
Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and Other
Minorities (IFPRERLOM),
a non-governmental organization on the Roster
The Secretary-General has received the following written statement which
is circulated in
accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.
[13 February 2006]
* This written statement is issued, unedited, in the language(s) received
from the submitting non-governmental organization(s).
Southern Cameroons
In 1993 it was requested of the Government of Cameroon to authorise the UN
Special Rapporteur (SR) on Torture of the Commission on Human Rights to
conduct a fact-finding mission under his mandate. The mission took place
from 12 to 20 May 1999 and the SR, Sir Nigel Rodley, collected first-hand
information from a large number of sources, evaluating the situation
regarding torture and other ill-treatment in Cameroon. Sir Rodley
subsequently made a series of recommendations to the Government on a
number of measures to be adopted in order to comply with commitments with
the object of putting an end to torture and other ill-treatment
(E/CN.4/2000/9/Add.2). 1
During his visit Sir Rodley received information from non-governmental
sources and a large account of witnesses indicating that torture was
widespread and sometimes used indiscriminately against people in arrest.
The SR also visited places of de tention under the authority of the
gendarmerie and various central prisons.
Whilst appreciative of cooperation from the Government of Cameroon in
facilitating the visit, the SR noted with concern that despite the fact
that Cameroonian law criminalizes torture, reflecting the definition of
torture contained in article 1 of the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which the Sate is
a party, it was “clear from the mission that the law is fragrantly
disregarded by police and gendarmerie officials.” 2
In his report, the SR recommended that; “the highest political authorities
should proclaim in public statements and internal governmental
instructions that torture and other illtreatment committed by public
officials will not be tolerated”; “[t]he gendarmerie and police should
establish special services designed to investigate complaints of, and to
weed out, serious wrongdoing, such as torture”; and “the Special
Rapporteurs on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and on the
independence of judges and lawyers should be invited to visit the
country.” 3
At its thirty-first session, in November 2003, the UN Committee Against
Torture (CAT) considered the third periodic report of Cameroon
(CAT/C/CR/31/6) , welcoming the third by Cameroon, whilst adopting several
critical conclusions and recommendations. The Committee found of
particular concern that torture seemed to be a very widespread practice in
Cameroon, and was “troubled by the sharp contradictions between consistent
allegations of serious violations of the Convention and the information
provided by the State party.” In particular the Committee noted with
concern; reports of the systematic use of torture in police and
gendarmerie stations after arrest; reports of torture, ill-treatment and
arbitrary detention; and the reluctance of victims or their relatives to
lodge complaints, through ignorance, distrust or fear of reprisals. 4
In light of the above conclusions and recommendations and further to rece
nt alarming reports of arbitrary arrest and detention of leaders of the
Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), 5 including the arrests on 11
November 2005, in which SCNC Vice Chairman Nfor Ngala Nfor and Bui County
Chairman Stephen Kongso were detained and held incommunicado for several
weeks, the Commission on Human Rights is urged to
call upon Cameroon to provide further information in follow-up on the
recommendations made by the SR and the CAT in particular in terms of
successful actions taken to end arbitrary detention; torture,
ill-treatment in police and gendarmerie stations and prisons; and work
undertaken to ensure the protection of victims and witnesses against any
intimidation or ill-treatment; and
request that the Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions and on the independence of judges and lawyers be
invited to visit Cameroon.
Balochistan
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expresses its concern at
the increasing number of reported disappearances and systematic torture at
the hands of security and intelligence agencies. In particular, a number
of such reports from Balochistan “reflected a distinct pattern of
persecution”, despite being largely inaccessible to national media and
human rights monitors.6
In December 2005 and January 2006 HRCP sent a fact-finding mission to
parts of Balochistan to document and report on the human rights situation.
In both Dear Bugti and the Kohlu area, the mission received reports of
indiscriminate bombing and that action by armed forces had led to deaths
and injuries among civilians, including women and children. 7
Many complained about the heavy deployment of paramilitary forces in the
area and use of excessive force. There were also alarming reports of
summary executions. Furthermore, across Balochistan the HRCP found
widespread instances of ‘disappearances’ and of torture inflicted upon
people held in custody. Whereas a settlement for the problems facing the
current war-like situation in Balochistan may primarily lie in a political
settlement, it is of utmost concern that human rights violations,
continuing to beset the region, are urgently addressed.
Whereas an immediate ceasefire by all parties is urgently needed, the
Commission on Human Rights is called upon
to urge Pakistan to respect the economic and political rights of the
indigenous Balochistan;
to request a high-level investigation into reports of extra-judicial,
summary and arbitrary,executions, torture and disappearances; and
to urge the government of Pakistan to provide complete and unimpeded
access to human rights organisations to visit jail and police stations.
Ahwazi Arabs in Iran
More than four million indigenous Ahwazi Arabs live in the south-western
region of Iran, mainly in the province of Khuzestan or Al-Ahwaz and
constituting an indigenous, ethnic, national and linguistic minority in
Iran. Historically, the Arab community has been marginalized and
discriminated against.8
On 15 April 2005 in the provincial city of Ahwaz, security forces
reportedly opened fire on thousands of peaceful demonstrators killing at
least 61 men, women and children, injuring over 800 and arresting
thousands, according to Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch
(HRW) and BBC.9 There have been reports of incidents of torture according
to AI, HRW and other human rights organizations and several appeals for
urgent action have been issues based on reports of fear of torture,
ill-treatment, and incommunicado detention and incidents of arbitrary
arrest and detention. 10
Most recently a report (AI Index: MDE 13/006/2006) issued on 1 February
2006, concerns the whereabouts and safety of Reza Haidari, aged 11, Kazem
Sayahi, aged 14, Hashem Jassem Sawari, aged 18 Hadi Washahi, aged 17, Said
Manabi, aged 20, Saleh ‘Abidawi, imam Sheikh Saleh al-Haydari, imam of
Da’ira mosque and several others. These persons, all members of Iran’s
Ahwazi Arab minority were reportedly arrested in the city of Ahvaz in
Khuzestan province on 11 and 12 January 2006. It is feared that they are
held incommunicado and at risk of torture or ill-treatment. 11
The arrests took place after clashes in Ahvaz between Iranian security
forces and members of the Arab Ahwazi community, in the context of an
initially peaceful demonstration on occasion of the Muslim festival of ‘Id
al-Adha on 11 January, led by Sheikh Saleh al-Haydari, imam (prayer
leader) of Da’ira mosque in Ahvaz. According to reports, demonstrators
were demanding an end to the persecution of Arabs, poverty and
unemployment among Arabs, and the release of political prisoners arrested
since April 2005 following unrest in Khuzestan province.
IFPRERLOM notes with concern the tension that has mounted among the Arab
population since April 2005, after it was alleged that the government
planned to disperse the country's Arab population or to force them to
relinquish their Arab identity. As the cycle of violence in the Khuzestan
province threatens to intensify, IFPRERLOM appeals to the Commission on
Human Rights
to call upon Iran to investigate incidents of arbitrary arrest and
detention, reports of torture and ill-treatment;
to call, as a matter of urgency, for a follow-up to the initial request by
UN SpecialRapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, to
the government of Iran to arrange a visit; and
to urge authorities in Iran to implement measures to promote and protect
the rights of minorities, including the indigenous Ahwazi Arabs, Balochis
and other minority groups in Iran.
1
http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/E.CN.4.2000.9.Add.2.En?Opendocument
2
http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/E.CN.4.2000.9.Add.2.En?Opendocument
3 “Section B: Recommendations”
http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/E.CN.4.2000.9.Add.2.En?Opendocument
4
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/03160cd35c14bdd0c1256e68003617ac?Opendocument
5 www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-africa_democracy/cameroon_3052.jsp,
www.unpo.org
6 http://www.hrcpweb.
org/images/publication/balochistan%20report/pdf/balochistan_report.pdf
7 http://www.hrcpweb.
org/images/publication/balochistan%20report/pdf/balochistan_report.pdf
8 www.ahwaz.org.uk
9 www.ahwaz.org.uk
10 http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130762005?open&of=ENG-IRN
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGMDE130652005?open&of=ENG-IRN
http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/HRW-report -Khuzestan.pdf
11 http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130062006?open&of=ENG-IRN
Source: United Nations Commission on Human Right (UNCHR)
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